Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · 8d

Bringing back maintenance grants is the right idea, but funding this off the backs of international students - who already cross-subsidise domestic students - is the wrong way of doing this.

👇

www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/news/...

Universities UK responds to the government's announcement on maintenance grants

Responding to today's announcement that the government will fund new maintenance grants with an international student levy, Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive of Universities UK said:

www.universitiesuk.ac.uk

Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · Sep 4

What are the drivers of mistrust in universities?

Whether it’s in 🇬🇧 or 🇦🇺 we’re facing the same issues - and the same could be said in 🇺🇸, 🇨🇦, 🇪🇺 too.

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Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · Aug 31

“Feels a little like I'm stuck in Seven Sisters

North London, oh, England

And maybe that's okay”

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Reposted by Harry Anderson

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Aug 22

Matthew Goodwin copied out yesterday morning's Home Office quarterly statistics and sent his subscribers a conspiratorial memo on what the government is "simply not telling you"

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Francesca Brooks @francescabrooks.bsky.social · Aug 20

I'd really recommend the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/early-career... ) - you don't need an affiliation to join, but you get access to free workshops & events (the network pays for travel to its own events), & to funding and grants!

Early Career Researcher Network

An inclusive, researcher-led network for UK-based early career researchers working in the humanities and social sciences

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

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George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · Aug 13

Gotta love that over here Trump is shredding the U.S. Constitution left and right hourly and extorting hundreds of millions from businesses and universities while running crypto scams but in the U.K. the big issue is the foreign secretary going fishing with Vance without a £7 rod license

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Aug 13

Lammy refers himself to watchdog after fishing illegally with JD Vance

Foreign secretary reports ‘oversight’ to Environment Agency after failing to acquire necessary rod licence David Lammy has referred himself to the environment watchdog after going fishing with the JD Vance without the required licence during the US vice-president’s trip to the UK. The foreign secretary hosted Vance and his family at Chevening House in Kent last week, where the pair fished from the property’s private lake. Anglers aged 13 and over must hold a rod licence to fish for freshwater species such as carp in England and Wales. Lammy failed to land a catch, but “all of my kids did,” Vance said. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · Aug 11

“With this in mind I hope you will be able to avoid any responsibility for running a university.”

open.substack.com/pub/profseri...

Understanding University Finances

... a very short guide

open.substack.com

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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · Jun 20

probably still quicker than changing to the Victoria Line at Green Park

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Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · Jun 11

love and mercy, that's what you need tonight ❤️

www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

Brian Wilson, visionary creative spirit for the Beach Boys, dies aged 82

Musician, who suffered from mental health problems, wrote and produced the 1966 album Pet Sounds – seen by many as the greatest album of all time

www.theguardian.com

Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · Jun 4

And we’re off #IHEF2025

Reposted by Harry Anderson

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · May 15

Great write-up by @guardianheather.bsky.social of a fascinating @suttontrust.bsky.social report. Striking graphics (to follow) too 1/n

London dominates England’s social mobility league with top 20 places

Sutton Trust’s ‘opportunity index’ measured six factors including children on free school meals passing GCSEs in maths and English

www.theguardian.com

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Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · May 15

“The America that I’ve sung to you about for fifty years is REAL! And regardless of its faults, is a great country with a great people.”

Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · May 14

Bruce Springsteen Calls Donald Trump ‘Incompetent, and Treasonous’ at 2025 Tour Kickoff

Bruce Springsteen Calls Donald Trump 'Incompetent, and Treasonous' at 2025 Tour Kickoff

At the kickoff show of his 2025 European tour, Bruce Springsteen delivered a fiery speech against Donald Trump.

rollingstone.com

Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · May 11

“In a world full of hot takes, takedowns and stunt interviews — where profiling someone might actually end up defiling them — Melvyn Bragg has spent the past 50 years illuminating only the things he loves.”

A terrific interview with a terrific man.

www.thetimes.com/life-style/c...

Melvyn Bragg, my idol: Caitlin Moran meets her hero

Growing up, the broadcasting legend’s South Bank Show was our columnist’s window on a world outside Wolverhampton. Now she’s a devoted fan of his Radio 4 show

www.thetimes.com

Reposted by Harry Anderson

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · May 10

Home Office special advisors now literally just inventing scary numbers based on absolutely nothing. There is no remotely credible analysis - inside the Home Office or out - that backs this up.

archive.ph/ka6ga

The Home Office fears that annual net migration is going to settle above the 340,000 level expected by the government unless radical policies are introduced.

Officials believe that as well as underestimating the levels of long-term immigration to the UK, government forecasts are also overstating its economic benefits.

They fear that from 2028 net migration will be closer to 525,000 — currently the high end of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) projections — because migrants are staying for longer than previously thought.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · May 10

This is the rise and fall of immigration up to December 2024. This is published visa data - facts, not projections. But the net migration figure covering the post-election period (to Dec 2024) is not out until the week after next, by linking it to an emigration estimate
www.gov.uk/government/c...

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · May 8

Cassocks are red
Conclaves are dope
Wake up babe we got a

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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · May 8

Once again - immigration *has been falling sharply* for more than a year now.

Just bizarre that the media/political debate hasn't caught up with this yet..

Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · May 8

New work visa data show little change in application numbers between March and April.

Health and care apps have settled at 1.7k per month, around half the level of non-healthcare applications (main apps only). Quite the change from 2023, when there were around 13,000 H&C applications per month!

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James Butler @piercepenniless.bsky.social · May 8

Choice of Leo presumably a nod to importance of Catholic Social Teaching. But I like to remember the last Leo's enthusiasm for cocaine-infused tonic wine. It's a demanding job...

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · May 8

The new Pope didn't tweet once in 2024. In 2025, he's posted 5 times, in which he:

- Criticized JD Vance's views on Catholicism and Jesus
- Posted an article opposing Trump's immigration policies
- Retweeted twice about the Pope's health
- Retweeted a criticism of Trump & Bukele's laughter at KAG.

Robert Prevost reposted
Rocco Palmo
@roccopalmo
·
Apr 14
As Trump & Bukele use Oval to 🤣 Feds’ illicit deportation of a US resident (https://bit.ly/3ROMjnP), once an undoc-ed Salvadorean himself, now-DC Aux +Evelio asks, “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?” https://bit.ly/4j700KN

Robert Prevost reposted
Synod.va
@Synod_va
·
Feb 25
We continue praying together the Holy Rosary for the health of #PopeFrancis this evening at 9 PM in St. Peter’s Square, The prayer today will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization. #pope #PopeFrancis

Robert Prevost reposted
Synod.va
@Synod_va
·
Feb 15
#PrayForThePope #GoodNews: The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Francis' health is improving. Let us pray together for his full recovery
@franciscus
Be strong, We are looking forward to seeing you again soon at St. Peter's Square.
#WeLoveOurPope

Robert Prevost
@drprevost
·
Feb 13
Pope Francis’ letter, JD Vance’s ‘ordo amoris’ and what the Gospel asks of all of us on immigration
From americamagazine.org
Robert Prevost
@drprevost
·
Feb 3
JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others https://ncronline.org/node/292716 via
@NCRonline

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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · May 5

Super news - and it is also the case that UK researchers have won £2bn of grants through the Horizon Guarantee, delivered by UKRI, which kept the lights on through the negotiations

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

UK wins £500m in science grants from EU Horizon scheme after Brexit lockout

Exclusive: British scientists ‘over the moon’ with re-entry to funding scheme after losing out for three years

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Harry Anderson

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · May 6

Immigration fell by a third in the 9 months after General Election. (From 1.2m visas to 800k in year to March 2025). The new lower headline migration figure (the 12 months of 2024) will come out 10 days after the white paper. Saying net migration is 700k (last stat: year to June 2024) is out of date

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Reposted by Harry Anderson

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · May 6

A question that I haven't heard a good answer to: if cutting migration by a third in a year hasn't changed the narrative on it at all - what would make you think cutting it by another third (or half] would?

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · May 6

Immigration fell by a third in the 9 months after General Election. (From 1.2m visas to 800k in year to March 2025). The new lower headline migration figure (the 12 months of 2024) will come out 10 days after the white paper. Saying net migration is 700k (last stat: year to June 2024) is out of date

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · May 6

‘Of course Britain could restrict international student numbers. We could halve the number, & make ourselves £10bn poorer every year… For sure, people want lower immigration - but YouGov say they want prosperity even more.’ Clearcut from @timleunig.bsky.social
timleunig.substack.com/p/internatio...

timleunig.substack.com

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Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · May 6

“To govern is to choose: my policy recommendation is that the government does not make the UK poorer by curtailing international student migration.”

Excellent piece from @timleunig.bsky.social & Public First colleagues here 👇

timleunig.substack.com/p/internatio...

International university students

Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot again.

timleunig.substack.com

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Harry Anderson @harryanderson.bsky.social · May 6

Surely a low point for government to have Mike Amesbury — the ex-MP who thumped one of his constituents — attempting to take the moral high ground on winter fuel cuts.